Federal court upholds Calif. oyster farm eviction

SAN FRANCISCO 
A federal appeals court has upheld a decision by former Interior Secretary Ken Salazar not to renew the lease of a popular oyster farm operating in a national park in Northern California.

A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that Salazar had the authority to not to renew the lease of the Drakes Bay Oyster Co. along the Point Reyes National Seashore.

Salazar said the waters in which Drakes operates should be returned to wilderness.

The farm argued Salazar's decision was based on flawed science. But the court found no legal basis to reverse it.

The court also removed a preliminary injunction that had allowed Drakes to continue operating while the case was pending.

Farm owner Kevin Lunny says he'll confer with his lawyers before deciding whether to ask the entire court to review the panel's decision.